Interview

At Tocqueville Gold Fund, Mining Shares Glitter

Gold and mining stocks are deeply out of favor. That's just one reason co-manager John Hathaway is bullish.

Is gold poised to regain its luster? That's a fair question to ask, now that the metal has rallied 11% year to date, to a recent $1,336 per troy ounce.

Gold became a popular investment alternative in the aftermath of the 2008-09 financial crisis, amid worries that excess money creation by central banks would lead to currency debasement. The metal rallied 70% from January 2010 to Sept. 6, 2011, when it peaked at $1,921.17 an ounce. It...